Who is men’s golf’s number one after Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Masters?

Scottie Scheffler has strengthened his position as the world No. 1 in men’s golf, after securing the second Masters title of his career.

Scheffler, 27, claimed the 2024 green jacket by finishing 11 under par at the Augusta National Golf Club, four shots ahead of second-placed Ludvig Aberg. The American had previously won the Masters in 2022.

Scheffler extends world-ranking lead at Masters

Global No. 1 since May 2023, Scheffler stretched the gap at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking this weekend.

Before the Masters, he had a lead of 187.0834 ranking points over second-placed Rory McIlroy. Now, after McIlroy finished in a tie for 22nd place in Georgia, Scheffler’s advantage over the Northern Irishman has grown to 285.17707 points.

“I’m playing really good golf”

“I feel like I’m playing really good golf right now,” Scheffler said in the wake of his victory on Sunday. “I feel like I’m as in control of my emotions as I’ve ever been, which is a good place to be. I feel like I’m maturing as a person on the golf course, which is a good place to be.

“I think it’s hard to argue with the results of the last few weeks. I’ve been playing some nice golf. But I really try to not focus too much on the past.”

Historic Masters victory for Scheffler

Scheffler has become one of just 18 men who have won multiple Masters titles.

Per ESPN, the Texan is the fourth-youngest golfer to clinch the second green jacket of his career, with legends of the sport Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros the only players to pull off the feat at an earlier age.

Scheffler set to become father

Scheffler is poised to have further cause for celebration soon, as his wife, Meredith, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child.

Meredith is usually by her husband’s side at tournaments, but her pregnancy prevented her from travelling to August for the Masters. While Scheffler remained in remote contact with his spouse, he revealed that he had in-person emotional support from friends ahead of Sunday’s crucial final round.

“The Sunday morning was definitely different,” Scheffler said. “Instead of just me and Mer at the house, I just had a couple of my buddies with me, and we sat and relaxed. Tried not to think about golf, but it was increasingly difficult.

“They were a great support for me this morning. And, yeah, it was a long morning, but it was well worth it.”

Can LIV golfers earn world-ranking points?

Players who have left the PGA Tour for the breakaway LIV Golf tour - including high-profile golfers such as Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Sergio García - cannot earn OWGR points at LIV events. Their only source of world-ranking points is by participating in one of the golf calendar’s major tournaments, which they are not blocked from competing in.

Rahm, who joined LIV Golf in December, is the highest non-PGA Tour player in the OWGR rankings, at fourth. Masters champion in 2023, the Spaniard finished joint 45th in Augusta at the weekend.

LIV chiefs had sought to persuade the OWGR to award rankings points to players involved in its events, but withdrew its request in March. “Unfortunately, the OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us,” CEO Greg Norman told members in a memo, per Reuters.